Compendium \Com*pen"di*um\, n.; pl. E. {Compendiums}, L. {Compendia}. [L. compendium that which is weighed, saved, or shortened, a short way, fr. compendere to weigh; com- + pendere to weigh. See {Pension}, and cf. {Compend}.] A brief compilation or composition, containing the principal heads, or general principles, of a larger work or system; an abridgment; an epitome; a compend; a condensed summary.
A short system or compendium of a science. --I. Watts.